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Video Archiving - Restoration - Remastering - Duplication - Transfer - Vintage - Antique - Conversion
Shibaden 1/2 " Helical Scan (1967) - (Also re-badged as Apeco and Bell & Howell)
Shibaden released
this format in 1967. The format was the only other one that used the skip field recording technique much
like the Sony CV series, but it was however incompatible with the Sony CV's, or
any other 1/2" helical format for that matter. The recording media was standard
1/2 inch open reel tape.
The format was also sold under the Apeco and Bell & Howell labels, though all came off the same Shibaden production line.... Thus Apeco and Bell & Howell half inch open reel Video Tape Recorders, are simply re-badged Shibaden's.
The primary difference between Sony's Skip Field format and Shibaden's, was the noticeably larger diameter of the Shibaden head drum. EIAJ, Skip Field, & Pilot Tone formats all used a 4.5" diameter head drum, whereas Shibaden employed a much larger 5.8" diameter. Tape speed was the same at 7.5 ips, however due to the larger head drum diameter, the Shibaden format employed a faster head to tape writing speed as well as at a reduced helical azimuth angle. The increased writing speed resulted in slightly superior image quality over Sony's Skip Field Format.
Because of different azimuth and write speed of the video tracks, the Shibaden format, though conceptually very similar to Sony's Skip Field Format, is not compatible.
Though technically superior to the Skip field format, Sony simply out-marketed and out-outsold the Shibaden format machines. Thus, the Shibaden format is quite rare, never having made significant market penetration.
Aligning the tape path is somewhat of a project on this machine, as the entry and exit guides instead of being precision set via a fine screw adjustment, instead used phenolic guides secured by two screws.. To adjust them, one looked at the scope for the proper RF envelope, and then without moving the guide, secured each by tightening them down... Course the very act of tightening them slightly changed the azimuth, so there was some trial and error to obtaining the best RF envelope...
If that failed to achieve acceptable alignment, then one had to resort to using shims to get the azimuth of the guides properly set... It often was more of an art than a technical procedure. But once set, the adjustment was stable and required no further alignment until such time as the video heads needed replacement...
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Shown here is the Apeco Teletape with the top skin removed. Of all the half inch open reel formats, it had the largest head drum... If it looks identical to the Shibaden SV-700 machine, it's because it is ! It came off the same Shibaden assembly line and was merely re-badged and marketed as an Apeco.
If you wonder why many of our machines are shown with their skins removed, it's because these are working machines as opposed to being mere show-pieces. We are constantly maintaining and cleaning them.
Many of us "Boomers" may recall Apeco photocopiers. Yes.... it's the same company ! They had a brief foray into video.
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Tape Speed: 7.5 ips
One monaural audio track
Two Heads in a standard half wrap.
Recording Format: Skip Field
Monochrome Only
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Made In Maine
Video Interchange
92 George Luce Rd
Waldoboro, ME - Maine 04572
207-832-5064 - mail@videointerchange.com
Northeast Region - New England
